Heretofore, most torquing auxiliaries have been in the form of round in cross section wire that is arcuately configured and provided with loops that align with and bear against selected teeth and/or brackets to apply the torquing forces where the auxiliary is secured to a plurality of brackets. It has also been heretofore known to provide torquing springs that are anchored to an archwire and include a loop for engagement with a tooth to apply a torquing force. These torquing auxiliaries have been capable of providing either palatal or labial root torquing forces, but in all cases they have defined food traps which are difficult to clean, thereby adversely affecting mouth hygiene. Additionally, the loops detract from the aesthetics of an orthodontic system. Moreover, they quite often require reactivation or adjustment during the period of their use, and they require special skills for proper handling.
It has also been known to provide a torquing auxiliary which enhances the mouth hygiene of a person by minimizing food traps, thereby making it easier for a patient to keep the teeth clean. Such an auxiliary is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,747, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application. However, this auxiliary is not sized to reliably prevent turning in the archwire slot, nor does this auxiliary have a shape that will at least partially accommodate a part of the main archwire to minimize labial protrusion.